The spider and the fox
by Lucky Strike's alter ego
Summary: The spider was kind and noble, the fox was weary and troubled. The fox had never fallen before but the spider had and he was hesitant to fall again. The fox had killed but the spider had never taken a single life. The fox was scared to love people but the spider was scared lose them. So one day the spider and the fox met and they would question all they ever knew. Peter Parker/OC
1. Prologue

_**CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR CAPTAIN AMERICA THE WINTER SOLDIER!**_

* * *

It was still the afternoon with the sun bright and shining and misshaped clouds floating across the blue sky. It was hard to believe all that had gone down within the span of a week but it really did. They still stood in the cemetery even after Fury and Natasha had left. Stella Rogers had long since taken a seat next to Fury's tombstone and leaned against the cold marble. She watched as her dad and Sam stood close to each other, glancing at the file in Steve's hands and speaking amongst themselves.

Normally Stella would've been part of the discussion but lately she'd been feeling worn out. It could've been from the intense battle at Shield headquarters a few days ago, after all, she did only get out of the hospital a day ago. She should've been there two months instead of two days but with her dad's passed on serum, it really shortened that time span. Sighing while tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear, she slowly lifted herself up from the ground and walked towards them.

"So are you going to do it or not?" She asked the two though the question was more directed towards her father. Steve raised an eyebrow.

"Do what?" She rolled her eyes. Steve wasn't really her father but he was as close as she would ever get. He was her grandfather though he looked to be only about ten years her senior, he looked more like an older brother.

"Find the winter soldier, of course!"

"It's Bucky." She smiled sheepishly, quietly apologizing. She was suffering from a serious lack of sleep and food. She really needed her sleep… And food, probably food more.

"So? Are you?" Sam, who watched the two in amusement, shrugged.

"It's all up to Steve." Stella narrowed her blue eyes at him though she had to look, just a bit, down at him. It was the curse of having super soldier serum running through your veins. You got to be abnormally tall. It might have been nice for a guy but for a girl, she always felt awkward with her unusual height. She was 5 '11', not a very normal height for a seventeen year old girl. The only people that were taller than her was her dad, Thor, and Fury. She was also pretty sure Loki was too but she never found the time or the stupidity to measure him while he raised havoc on New York a couple years ago.

"So what's your decision, Cap?" She asked, once again, teasingly. He looked back down at the file in his hands before looking at both Stella and Sam with a decision made.

"We'll wait." Stella furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Wait?

"Why? Shield, which was my only occupation until a few days ago, is down so we have all the time in the world. Besides… He's your best friend, isn't he?" Steve closed the file, a frown appearing on his face.

"He is and I want to be friends again but he needs to find himself now that he knows who he is. He'll look for me when he's ready, he'll know where to find me. I know that the old Buck is in there, he saved me, he just… Needs time to find himself again. I know because I felt the same way after the ice." She wanted to question him if that was really what he wanted but she decided against it. He was cap and if he wanted to wait, he would wait. If he ever changed his mind, she'd follow him and she knew Sam would as well. She nodded silently.

"That's understandable, dad." She told him quietly. "And I hope he does come. I would like to meet Bucky someday… The real Bucky." Steve smiled at her softly.

"Just tell me when he does drop by." Sam said with that teasing tone of his. "After hearing all of these stories from the forties, I have to meet this guy myself." They all laughed together, relishing over the good times now that the battle of Hydra was finally over. It reminded Stella of one tiny detail.

"Wait!" Stella said suddenly. Steve and Sam looked at her with alertness. She seemed so suddenly worried about something. Sam was just afraid some hydra jerk would come popping out from behind tombstone for one last scare. Steve didn't know what caused her exclamation… He also had a lot of trouble understanding women even if that woman was his only grand daughter or daughter as he liked to call her.

"Now that Shield's gone, Hydra's gone, and the man hunt for Bucky is off… What are we going to do?" She paused for a moment. " I mean Fury's off with his solo spy mission in Europe, Natasha's who knows where but probably with Barton, and Maria's working for Tony now. Oh my god!" She exclaimed, her blue eyes wide with horror.

"Am I going to have to work for Stark now!?" Bad thoughts started to circle around Stella's mind. Shield was all she knew for most of her life. Ever since Shield adopted her which was when she was five. Shield was always there and she embraced it as if it were a close friend, something to keep her safe. She had been trained by the best. Natasha, Clint, and Coulson. She was, technically, an assassin and had killed long before Steve got thawed out from the ice. Shield had been her home and her job for so many years and now it was gone. Intruded by Hydra which was also gone. She really had no idea what to do not that Shield was gone and there seemed to be no major danger in the world at the moment.

Steve and Sam both stared at the tall teenager. She seemed to be in panic mode now that it had finally sunk in that Shield was gone and was never coming back.

"No, Stella, of course you don't have to work for Stark." He chuckled. "I wouldn't make you do _that."_ She nodded, trying to stay calm. She was relieved to hear this, working for Stark would kill her. She loved Tony to death but he would never let her live it down if she had to work with him.

"So what, then? The CIA? NSA? Please don't say FBI. I think I'd rather work for Tony." Steve shook his head. Sam didn't know whether to laugh or pity the young Rogers.

"You're not working for them either and, again, no not Stark. But we are going to spend some extra time with Stark." Stella shot him a confused and slightly cautious expression.

"Is there something you need to tell me, Cap?" Steve, this time, gave her the confused look but once again shook his head.

"I'm trying to say that we're going to live at Stark Tower with the others." Her eyes widened once again from surprise. Stark tower? All the way back to New York City? She hadn't been to New York since the alien attack, no thanks to Loki, two years ago. She had to admit she was happy to go back to New York, it was her favorite place. But the question still stood. What would she do?

"That's great news, Cap!" She exclaimed, grinning and hugging her grandfather. Despite her confusion on what she was supposed to do, she was going to be excited to move back to New York instead of living in D.C. for the past year and a half. Sam smiled at the hugging Rogers. He was reminded of the friendship he had with his old team mate Riley but that long gone now.

"You're welcome to come with us, Sam." Steve told him as his grand daughter still clung to him. "I'm sure the Avengers could use you." Sam smiled, honored by the offer, but shook his head.

"Maybe someday soon but now I have to figure out what _I _have to do." Steve nodded, understanding what his new friend was saying before pulling away from Stella who still seemed blown away. He walked over and grasped Sam's hand, giving it a firm shake.

"It's been an honor to fight alongside you, until we meet again." Sam smiled at the Captain's polite old ways.

"Yeah, you too, Steve." Stepping back, Steve returned his smile before Sam towards Stella. Looking her in the eyes but also having to tilt his head up to be able to do so.

"Stella, if any of those boys gives you a hard time just remember the Falcon is only one call away." He told her, Stella laughed and have him a quick hug. She didn't really know what he meant by boys since she was hardly around any kids let alone boys her own age.

"Okay, Sam. I promise to call you if I feel too delicate to handle it on my own." Sam patted her back before pulling away. He looked between the both of them as if he were already thinking about going with them.

"I'll see you guys soon." He told them before finally walking away and out of their lives for the time being. Stella would have to admit she'd miss Sam Wilson while they'd be away. In the short time knowing him, Sam had become a good friend to the both of them. He was like an odd mixture of Clint and Tony but all the good parts and none of the bad… So really he wasn't like them at all. If Tony could hear her thoughts right now. Clint would probably attempt to shoot her with his bow.

"So it's just us two now?" Stella whispered once they could no longer see Sam in the distance. No Natasha, no Fury, no Sam, and not even Maria. It had been a long time since it was just them, probably since the road trip they took across the country after the battle of New York. But now they were back to square one. They were going to start fresh.

"Yeah." Steve replied, feeling slightly at ease. No Shield, no Hydra, just them with all the freedom the world could give them… Until something else happened and they would have to suit up again.

"So what are we going to do in New York?" Steve shrugged, leaning against a tree.

"We'll try to be a functional, normal family. I might take up drawing again, it's been a while." Stella nodded silently. She thought it was a good idea. His drawings were amazing, at least she knew where she got the talent from.

"And me? What will I do? I love drawing as well but Shield was my life and now that it's over I don't know what to do." Steve smiled at her as if he knew something she didn't. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What?"

"I know what you're going to do." This didn't seem help her curiosity, he was being very vague.

"And what are you going to do?"

"Well, Barton did give me the idea a few months ago but it wasn't until after everything that I finally decided." Stella rolled her eyes, she was becoming more and more impatient as he kept talking. Steve had a way about this. He would always ramble away but it was something she liked best about her dad/ grandfather.

"CAP!" He stopped and looked at her. "Just spit it out!" He nodded but with a smile.

"You're going to be doing what other teenagers do in New York." This still didn't help.

"And what's that?" She asked feeling bored now but he just continued to give her that excited smile which frustrated her.

"School."


	2. Chapter One

**_Author's Note: So this is my new fanfiction and this also has to be one of the longest chapters I've written. Heads up, Stella will refer to Steve as her grandfather or dad many times in the story. So don't get too confused. So if she mentions dad or grandfather or something, she's always going to mean Steve. _****_  
_**

* * *

**__**

So four days later they moved to New York and were settling into Stark tower. It was really Avengers tower now but the name was so weird and unfamiliar that everyone still called it Stark tower. It would take some time, she told herself. The place was nice and they even got a whole floor to themselves though Stella would've preferred not sharing a floor. If there was one thing Stella valued above everything else it was her privacy. It would be no different than sharing an apartment with her grandfather back in D.C. or even when they lived in Brooklyn. But their floor was huge. It had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room, and kitchen. Not a whole lot of rooms but the rooms were spacious and open. Stella absolutely loved it and even though Steve didn't say anything, she was pretty sure he appreciated the apartment they were given. She would have to thank Tony later.

A few boxes were piled up in her new room as she started unpacking. They had only arrived at the tower an hour before but she wanted to get started unpacking since she was set to go to school the next day. She thought at least she would have a couple of days to prepare herself for high school but apparently gramps was way ahead of her.

Stella had to admit she was a little annoyed that her dad would enroll her in high school but now with Shield gone it finally occurred to him that high school was healthy for a seventeen year old. She guessed he wanted a normal life for her but she wasn't normal. Ever since shield adopted her she had been trained as an agent. She knew hand to hand combat, guns, knives, bows, and about three hundred ways to kill a woman but three hundred and seven ways to kill a man. No teenager should know that and to be honest she never thought of herself as a teenager. She always thought of herself as an agent. She never cared much for the whole high school experience and watching movies like High school musical and Harry Potter cured her curiosity. She could do without the whole school thing.

It wasn't like she was stupid. Shield home schooled her and she was almost a genius thanks to their teachings. She had a high I.Q. a lot higher than Clint's or her dad's but nowhere near as high as Tony's. She was just never interested in being a normal kid. Now she was actually being forced into being one and she had no idea how to talk to a kid her own age. Adults were easy because she could relate to them and had her share of life experiences but kids were totally different.

Stella nervously bit her lip as she started sorting through her movies. She shouldn't be getting nervous, she was a trained killer. She had handled aliens, spoiled angry gods, mobsters, and Hydra but somehow the topic of high school made her queasy. She started to wonder about working for Tony. She had just started taking her weapons out of her briefcase when her dad walked in.

"You hungry?" He asked hesitantly. He was still unsure how to approach the young blonde even after knowing her for over three years. Ever since he dropped the school bomb on her she had been acting distant and quiet, not her normally bubbly self. Stella shrugged, not meeting his eyes but carefully polishing one of her guns.

"Sure." Steve stayed silent for a moment before finally deciding to step in.

"Are you okay, Stella?" Stella looked up at him, a bit alarmed, and put her gun down. She hadn't been expecting concern so soon. She thought she was hiding her nerves pretty well.

"Yeah, I guess so." Steve didn't look convinced.

"Because you've seemed off these past few days and I'm thinking it's because of the school thing I've mentioned." Stella sighed, knowing that she would have to tell him before he got too worried. It was a terrible trait of the cap, he was the worst worry wart ever.

"You're right, it is the school." Steve opened his mouth to ask why but Stella ignored him and went on.

"I've just been an agent my whole life and school and being a normal girl just never occurred to me. Now that it has, I'm kind of scared of it. I've never held a conversation with someone my own age so how am I going to handle being around them for six hours?" Steve's expression softened as he noticed the intense fear his daughter felt. He came and gave her a hug, she allowed herself to bury her face in his shoulder. It was moments like these that she would've loved to have as a small child.

"You're going to be okay, Stella. I was never so good at meeting new people either but look at all the friends I've made. Granted that it was through work and trust but I still did it so I think you can at least make at least one friend at this new school. There are so many students, there's bound to be one that you can be friends with." Stella smiled at him, feeling slightly better about the next day. He always had a knack for making her feel better and happier, it was something that Coulson used to do too but not like Steve. Maybe it was because of the relation and immediate bond that Stella felt towards him but she did feel close to him. Though he was only around ten years her senior, Steve still seemed fatherly towards her.

"Thanks, dad." Stella whispered. Steve smiled, rubbing her back comfortingly.

"No problem, Stells.

They had dinner in their apartment instead of with the others since it was already so late and dinner time had long passed. Steve promised that she would see everyone at breakfast in the morning since they would be seeing her off before the big day. It was nice eating dinner there in their nice but large kitchen. It reminded her of nights the duo family had to themselves back in D.C. when they were free of missions. Their meal, like usual, consisted of two packages worth of hot dogs( one pack for each of them) and two hamburgers each. They were starving from a long day of moving and unpacking and with their already weird metabolisms, it increased their appetite.

That was another thing about Stella Rogers. She had inherited Steve's super soldier serum so she had all the super soldier qualities. Super strength, super speed, fast metabolism, fast reflexes, amazing healing factor, and she also couldn't get drunk. She found that out early on in her career as a Shield agent. No one was quite sure about anti-aging since she was still aging but Tony and Bruce had a theory that it would stop at one point. With the super soldier serum she was the perfect shield agent though she knew her hand to hand combat skills could never compare to Natasha and her archery skills could never compare to Clint.

After eating a total of almost ten hot dogs and taking a shower, Stella went to bed. She wondered what high school was like in real life and if she was the right material for it. She wondered if she would be able to make it through one day without killing herself. She closed her eyes still thinking of all the things that could go wrong but she still curiously wondered what would happen tomorrow. With the idea of school revolving around her mind, she slowly drifted off into a dreamless sleep. 

* * *

She awoke early the next morning to the voice of Jarvis, Tony's AI system. She was so unused to Jarvis's voice that she pulled out her gun from under her pillow. She felt slightly foolish when the AI system explained who he was. It had been so long since she had been in the company of advanced technology. Two weeks.

She stood in front of her walk in closet, trying to decide what to wear to her first day of school. She knew that she didn't want to go overboard and over dress for her first day but she still wanted to look nice and not dress like a slob like Tony did on a regular basis. In the end Stella picked out a pair of designer jeans, a black V neck, and a forest green cropped jacket. For shoes she decided on a pair of blue Keds that matched her jeans. She looked at her hair in the mirror, deciding what to do with it. She scrunched her nose up in annoyance before just leaving it down and straightening it. Her one annoying trait and it had to be that her hair was naturally wavy which was a complete annoyance when she just wanted her hair straight but didn't feel like doing anything about it. Adding a bit of make up around her eyes, Stella left the room picking up her tan colored book bag along the way.

She walked through the hallway of her and Steve's floor, noticing that he had already left for the dining room. Stella pulled out her phone, checking the time. She still had a lot of time before she would have to leave for… School. She shuddered at the odd word and continued towards the elevator. Once she was safely inside she pressed the kitchen button. The kitchen was on the same floor as the dining room and living room so she hoped it was the right button. Stella took a deep breath through her nose, trying to calm her nerves. It was an exercise Bruce taught her and he was the master of nerves and stress. A minute passed before she heard a ding and the elevator doors opened. She smiled as she recognized the familiar layout of the living room/ kitchen floor. She hardly had enough time to admire it because as soon as she stepped out of the elevator she was wrapped up into a hug.

Stella laughed as she saw the vibrant strawberry blonde hair of Pepper Potts. She returned the hug warmly and wrapped her arms around Tony Stark's girlfriend. She had missed Pepper. Pepper was like a motherly best friend, someone she could talk to about anything. There was only so many things you could talk to Natasha about.

"Hey, Pepper." Stella finally said and Pepper disentangled herself from Stella.

"I can't believe you're finally here!" Pepper exclaimed with a welcoming smile. Stella had to admit that this school thing really had her dreading living there but Pepper's smile seemed to cheer her up.

"Yep. Just little old me back in the flesh." Pepper laughed before putting a hand against her back and leading her further into the area. Pepper was perhaps the only female that was anywhere near Stella's height, she was only maybe an inch shorter than Stella. It wasn't nearly as weird talking to Pepper as it was talking to Natasha or Jane with them being several inches shorter than her.

"I'm so glad you're back. We've all missed you so much, I think Clint's missed you the most though. He keeps complaining how he can't practice his Super Soldier-fied target practice." Stella laughed. That did sound like Clint.

"Well, you know with missions, dad, and what happened with Shield it's been a pretty busy life." Pepper nodded, slightly frowning. She'd heard about the big shield take down from Natasha and she was worried for the red head and Clint. They didn't know what to do without the agency, it was their whole career. The same went for Stella though Stella was practically raised by Shield.

"Yeah, I don't think Clint knows what he's going to do with himself now that he's unemployed." Stella shrugged.

"He's not the only one. We're all unemployed but at least Maria got a job." Pepper nodded.

"Yeah, I heard about that. I'm sure she'll be an amazing addition here."

"I don't know if I could work for Tony, especially if I was a former Shield agent. It would be a complete nightmare, he'd never let me live it down. Poor Maria." Pepper only laughed at the pitying blonde.

"Well good thing you're not working, speaking of which… Are you excited for school?" Pepper asked and Stella immediately frowned with a disgusted look on her face.

"Don't remind me. If I make it out of there alive, please get me a frozen yogurt. I'll need it after the hell I'm about to endure." Pepper rolled her eyes at Stella before they finally reached the dining area where everyone was seated. Stella instantly smiled at the sight of everyone together. She spotted her dad seated at the end and having a conversation with Thor who was rather loud. Jane Foster was seated next to him, smiling in amusement at the loudness of her… Boyfriend? Stella wasn't sure about Asgardian terms. Next to Jane sat none other than Natasha Romanoff who Stella had just seen a few days ago. New identity? Across from Natasha was Clint who had his bow at the table. It was no different than usual, Stella thought to herself. Across from Thor was Bruce who sat reading the newspaper quietly, not bothering anyone. Only Bruce. And at the other end of the table sat the famous Tony Stark who was currently annoying Natasha and Clint, probably making sex jokes about their relationship. As if Tony heard her, he looked up and beamed when he saw it was her.

"Ah Mini Rogers! I see you've finally decided to join us." He smirked then glanced at Stella's outfit. "All dressed up for school? Excited for the high school Experience?" Stella rolled her eyes before taking a seat next to Natasha and next to Tony. She assumed the empty seat across from hers was Peppers.

"Hello to you too, Tony." Stella answered as she started to put food on her plate. Pretty soon there was about three waffles, a half a plate of eggs, and five pieces of bacon. It was nothing compared to Thor's plate which had double the amount of food on it. Damn her fast metabolism. Tony stared at her plate in awe as she started shoveling down her breakfast.

"How do you eat so much?" Tony asked in astonishment. He'd never seen a girl of her size eat so much food at such an increased speed. She paused in her eating, mid chew, and looked at him.

"I'm hungry." She said through a mouth full of food. Tony scrunched up his nose in disgust while Pepper just glared at her.

"Stella! Manners!" Stella rolled her eyes and continued eating while Tony shook his head in disbelief.

"I just can't understand how someone that… Healthy looking can shovel down that much food." Stella didn't even pay him any attention as she continued with her breakfast. She knew she ate a lot, and she hated feeling that hungry all the time, but if she didn't eat she'd get the worst headaches. Worse than a normal person got them. Thor glanced between the man of iron and his young friend with concern.

"Stark, I do not see what the problem is. A growing warrior such as Lady Rogers needs all the strength she can have." Stella looked at her Asgardian friend. She wasn't as close to Thor as she was to Clint and Natasha but he was still a good friend to her. It also helped that he was one of the few people she had to look up at when she spoke.

"Thank you, Thor."

"You are most welcome, Lady Rogers." Tony rolled his eyes at the two pigs, as he liked to call them, and leaned back in his chair.

"Whatever, say whatever you want Point break, but my point is," He pointed his fork at Stella. "You're going to get fat. It's called karma." Once again, Stella rolled her eyes at billionaire. There was only so many times a person could roll their eyes but Stella was pretty sure she was using it all up on Tony.

"I would be pretty worried about my weight if I could, in fact, gain weight. I'm a super soldier, Stark, try and work that out in your genius head." Tony glared at her, grumbling something about blondes and capsicles. He had officially given up on his annual 'You're going to get fat' speech which she was glad because those could get very annoying and depressing.

"You know," She started, waving around her fork which had a piece of waffle attached to it. "You would think I'd get a nice welcome back or a suffocating hug but instead I'm being told that I'm bound to get fat. I thought this was like a welcome back party and an encouraging send off to…" She paused, shuddering. "School."

Everyone in the room rolled their eyes at Stella. She said the world like it burned her. Stella really wasn't a dramatic kind of girl but she did have her moments. Thor was the only one who didn't roll his eyes, mostly because he didn't understand what was going on.

"Welcome back, Stella." Bruce told her and she smiled at him. Glad that one person seemed to not be picking on her at the moment.

"Thank you, Bruce." She smiled at him but glared at the others.

"Come on, Stells!" Clint said, looking at her but still somehow managing to polish his bow at the same time. "We're only giving you a hard time because of how much we love you."

"Yeah, well… You could love me a little less." Natasha laughed from her spot next to Clint, Stella's eyes widened as if she remembered something.

"And you!" She said, pointing at the red head. "You're supposed to be finding a new identity." Natasha didn't say anything, not feeling up to answering her friend's million questions. Stella smirked.

"Well, at least we know where you're secret identity is." The others laughed as Stella glanced at Clint then back to her. Stella wiped her hands with her napkin, finally finishing her breakfast. Tony was still amazed at how fast she was able to eat it all but it really shouldn't come as much of a surprise, he recalled those days right before the battle of New York. Shield had never seen a cafeteria so empty while housing a Demi god and two super soldiers at the same time.

"You done, Stella?" Steve asked, standing up from the table. Stella quickly grabbed her book bag again and stood up as well. It was getting closer and closer. The dreaded word. School.

"Yeah, I'm ready… Unfortunately." The table, once again, rumbled with laughter.

"Let's go then, I'll take you."

"Awww!" Tony exclaimed. "Look at that! Old grandpa taking his little grandbaby to her first day of school. How absolutely sweet!" This time both Stella and Steve rolled their eyes in unison.

"Really, Tony?" Steve asked in disbelief.

"Yes, really. But seriously, you're more than welcome to have Happy drive you. I know Cap here doesn't know how to drive." Steve blushed in embarrassment.

"I know how to drive, Tony… It's just been a while."

"Cap?"

"Yes?"

"Just take Happy."

"Okay." 

* * *

The drive to school was quiet for the most part. They both looked out the windows silently, observing the city that they had both missed during the past couple of years. Not much had changed during those years except the damage from the alien attack was all repaired. It was as if the attack had never happened, it was just a forgotten memory.

Stella was secretly worried for her dad. She knew he wanted to take up drawing again but what else was he going to do? Go to the gym and beat up a punching bag until he couldn't feel his hands anymore? She didn't know what he was going to do with himself alone. Sure he had the others but Tony, Jane, and Bruce were always busy in the lab, Clint and Natasha were always training in the gym (they called it their alone time), and Pepper was always at meetings. She supposed there was Thor but she didn't know how long he'd be staying here on Earth. Hopefully for a while, he was one person that her dad could hang out with and not feel out of his league. The others were just too twenty first century to have an hours long conversation with.

She wished he would've let her stay with him so she could keep him company. There was so much they could do. Train together, draw together, and go and explore the city together like they always did. But for some reason Steve was hell bent on having her go to school like a normal girl. She wanted him to realize that she wasn't normal but that wasn't an option since he was as stubborn as she was. So she'd just have to put up with school until he'd finally let her quit and she could go back to hanging out with the other avengers like before. It wouldn't be long before Tony started complaining that she was never there and they were a team then Steve would get annoyed and just pull her out of school to shut him up. Hopefully it wouldn't take that long.

"Are you ready for this?" Steve asked her timidly, she looked back at him. He observed her face for what must have been the hundredth time since the ice. He remembered just a couple of years ago when he was thawed out. The shock that overcame him when he found out that not only had he left everything behind but he had also left behind a family. A son that he never got to meet. But finding out about his grand daughter was perhaps the best. He may have never met his son and never got to marry Peggy but he did have her. She was only fourteen years old when he first met her, barely a teenager. He was angry and shocked that she was already an agent, a trained killer, but he soon overcame that anger and became proud of what she became. She was his legacy.

She didn't inherit much from Peggy, just her lips and nose. She looked more like him to be honest but in a way more feminine way, and somehow despite his many flaws he thought he had, she was beautiful. Her long blonde went past her shoulders and all the way to the mid of her back. Her eyes were an ocean blue, much like his, and were fierce with determination and passion. It was another thing he admired about her. She was tall and slender with an athletic build, her height wasn't normal for a girl, she was almost six feet tall but it suited her. He was worried about her aging, she was still young so no one knew for sure but he didn't know if he wanted her to grow up and have children and grow old or if he wanted her to stay the way she was now and stay with him forever. He just didn't want to be selfish.

"Yeah, I guess." She replied as the car came to a stop in front of the school. "I just don't understand why you had to register me so early? What's the rush?" Steve shrugged.

"No rush, I just didn't want you to sit around the tower with nothing to do." She nodded.

"So you decided this was going to keep me entertained?" Steve rolled his eyes, giving her a stern look.

"I know this is a whole different concept for you but I think you'll enjoy this. It's a whole new experience. High school wasn't the best for me but I had a friend that I got to share the experience with. Besides… You're different than I was, I'm sure you'll make a lot of friends." Stella sighed, picking at a loose string of thread hanging off of her bag.

"I'm fine with the friends I have now. Natasha and Clint are my friends." She muttered.

"I mean you should find friends your own age." She wanted to say she had nothing in common with kids her own age but her dad seemed to be positive about this and she didn't want to ruin it for him. Steve sighed, glancing at the bitter expression on her face.

"Look, Stella, I know this is hard but if, in a couple of months, you still hate it and it makes you miserable… I'll pull you out and it can just be all the avengers in the tower." Stella immediately lit up at this information.

"Really?" Steve nodded but gave her a look.

"Yes but you have to try." Stella nodded back. This was slightly better, all she had to do was survive a couple months of high school. How hard could that be? She had fought aliens, gods, and hydra. She was sure she could take some teenaged high school students.

"I will, dad." Steve smiled. She never really called him dad a lot but when she did he couldn't help but feel excited at the name. It made him feel important and that he really was making a difference in her life.

"Don't worry, you'll make friends. Just be yourself." Stella raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"You mean that I should start showing off my assassin capabilities?" Steve's eyes widened as he realized what he just told her.

"No…Uh… Never mind. Don't be yourself." She laughed, he really was easy to tease. No wonder Tony had so much fun with it.

"Happy will be here to pick you up after school." She nodded and he leaned over and kissed her cheek. She glared at him.

"I'm not five, cap!" He chuckled as she opened the car door.

"Have a good day at school!" He was answered only with the slam of the car door. He sighed, leaning back into his seat, watching her walk off towards the school building. He really hoped this worked out for her because he didn't want to hear about this later.

Stella stared at the plaque across from her seat.

Midtown Science.

Were they really not that creative? She hoped to god that this wasn't some science school for nerds like Tony and Bruce. She really hated science… And math, don't forget math.

She was currently seated in the office beside a fairly large fish tank. The office lady had just gone to get her class schedule along with a map of the school. She hoped none of her classes were too bad, she was a senior after all. She was a bit curious why she was enrolled as a senior seeing as she had just turned seventeen and should be a junior.

She let out a loud, annoyed sigh as she leaned back in her uncomfortable seat. She couldn't believe she was actually here at school. If only Fury could see one of his most prized agents, and an avenger nonetheless, sitting in this school office waiting for a schedule. Tony was already making fun of her enough as it was. She'd only been sitting in the school office for ten minutes and she already had five text messages asking her about her school day. She finally grew annoyed and sent him a text asking if he any lab work to do. There wasn't a reply since. A couple of months, she told herself. She could do this, only a couple of months and she could be out of here and living as an avenger with the others 24/7.

"I have your schedule, Miss Rogers." The secretary announced as she walked back into the office from the copy room. Stella immediately stood up from her chair to retrieve her papers.

"Here it is, I've also printed out a map of the school so hopefully you won't get too lost." She wanted to laugh. She was a highly trained agent, she would probably manage to get around the school without any problems.

"Now if you could only get a signature from each of your teachers and turn it in by the end of the day. We'll also want a signature from your parent or guardian tomorrow." Stella stared at the stack of papers the lady was handing her. Who knew school required so much paper work? This was almost as much paperwork as the reports she had to write up after her missions. Instead of voicing this to the secretary, Stella took the stack of papers from her. She put the papers for Steve in her bag but kept her schedule and map in her hands.

"Thank you." Stella told her, smiling. The secretary smiled back, making her want to barf. She wanted to go home so bad.

"You're welcome, Miss Rogers, have a nice day."

"You too." With that said, Stella slowly walked out of the office. 

* * *

She tried to walk as slow as she could down the halls as to put off facing all the kids but it seemed that she couldn't put it off forever. The slower she walked, the faster the classroom seemed to appear. School had already began when she went to the office so she was able to avoid all the kids but now that she was almost to the classroom… That was no longer possible. Maybe she could go back. Maybe she could run back to the tower and beg Steve to pull her out. If she cried, he wouldn't even be mad. Only then did she feel the disgust seep in. She was Agent Shadow Fox! She didn't cry her way of out things, she didn't run. She could get past this, she _would_ get past this. She'd fought worse than high school kids and she wasn't about to let them scare her off. With fierce determination Stella walked into the classroom.

First period History. The teacher sat at a desk up front, surfing the internet. The kids all hung around each other doing a class activity so she wasn't really noticed. She glanced at the kids, they were all her age, maybe a year older because she skipped a year. They seemed relatively normal and not very scary at all. They certainly were no Chitauri which she was glad for. She swallowed and continued to walk towards the teacher's desk. He seemed to take no notice of her until she cleared her throat, he finally turned away from the monitor to look at her. She was reminded of that agent that used to play Gallaga when he thought no one was watching.

"Hi, I'm the new student here, I kind of need you to sign this thing so I can get on with my day." She told him weakly. She wanted to kick herself for how she sounded, all nervous and scared. The teacher smiled at her, grabbing a pen, and quickly jotting down his signature. She smiled in satisfaction and was about to find a place to sit when the teacher did the unexpected and stood up.

"Hey, class!" He yelled, grabbing their attention. Oh no. The class stopped what they were doing and turned their attention towards their teacher. Some of them curiously glanced at Stella who stood frozen at the teacher's side.

"We have a new student here with us today, Stella Rogers." Stella almost flinched. Wait! How does he know my name? She asked herself then mentally slapped herself. It's on the paper, genius. If Tony was here she'd be his own personal laughing stock by now.

"I want you to treat her well and make her feel welcomed here." Why must he go on and on? She asked herself. If he would just tell her where to sit so she could be saved from this humiliation.

"Now, Stella, would you care to tell us where you're from?" Stella noticed that the whole classroom's attention was focused on her. She could feel the guys in the room checking her out as if she were meat. She knew the feeling from all the missions she shared with Natasha, there may have been too many drug dealers and sons of drug dealers. The girls carefully analyzed her, debating whether or not she was a threat or an alley. Stella swallowed and carefully plastered a smile on her face.

"D.C." She thanked god that her voice sounded it's normal and not nervous self. She wasn't a spy for nothing!

"Tell us something about yourself." What did this man want? Her life story? So many questions. She thought Shield was the only one that could ask this many questions. She wanted to crawl into a hole and die. She hated being interrogated almost as much as Tony hated being handed things but she was sure his pet peeve was an actual psychological condition that he needed to get checked out.

What could she say about herself? That she worked for a secret government agency that had just been brought down because of its secret involvement with Hydra. That she was an agent, spy, assassin, or avenger… Take your pick. Or even how she was Captain America's grand daughter and had a super soldier serum running through her veins. She was pretty sure that this was all top secret stuff. What would a normal teenaged girl even say? She thought it through for a second before she came up with her answer.

"Well… I like puppies." The teacher smiled hesitantly, seeming unsure.

"Anything else?" She shook her head.

"Nope."

"Okay, Stella, you can go take the empty seat in front of Mr. Thompson." She didn't waste any time leaving the front of the room to take her seat. The guy that sat behind her looked like a total Hollywood stereotypical jock so she didn't see herself making friends with him. He also didn't seem the type to have friends who were girls. She glared at the teacher for putting her in the spotlight and making her face all those kids on her own. Okay, Mr… Whoever you are! If Loki comes back to earth and uses his mind rape scepter on me then you are the first on my hit list.

Class went on relatively fast from that point on. She listened as the teacher went on and on about the civil war. It was only first period and she was already bored. How on earth was she going to survive a couple of months in this place? How did these kids even do it? As bad as it sounded, she would've much rather been out killing bad guys on missions with Natasha.

Stella was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost missed that scary sensation. As an agent she was trained to have a sort of sixth sense so it didn't come as any surprise when she felt someone watching her. Normally this would've meant that her cover had been blown and now a battle was to come but since this was high school… She slowly turned around to glance at anyone that could've been watching her. Thompson, as the teacher had called him, was texting on his phone, too busy to look at her and the same seemed to go for everyone else except… Her eyes scanned the area before stopping on a figure in the back row.

She wanted to laugh since he was being rather obvious about staring at her but she stopped herself. He was a skinny guy, she observed, with tousled brown hair and a pale complexion. He was nerdy looking but in a rather cute way. Cute? Did she really just say cute? Knives were cute, Bruce's purple shirts were cute, not nerdy boys staring at her. The guy seemed so wrapped up in staring at her that he didn't notice when she stared back until she raised her eyebrows at him. He immediately blushed and looked away as if he was never staring at her. She found both the blush and gesture… Adorable. Look at what's happening to me, she told herself. Look at what school is doing to me. It's destroying me! 

* * *

Stella was relieved when the bell rang and class ended. She followed the rest of the class as they filed out into the hall way. She briefly wondered what she had next for class, she honestly hoped that the next teacher wouldn't do what the last one did. She pulled out her schedule and scanned it for second period, she was so caught up in her schedule she didn't see until someone pushed into her causing her to drop all her papers. Stella had to hold back the instinct to flip the person onto their backs as a defensive strategy. Who knew reflexes could be hard to control? She bent down to retrieve her papers but also noticing as someone else bent down to help her.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going." She didn't get a good look at the person's face but she knew it was a boy, obviously, from his voice. Stella smiled but nodded even though he probably couldn't see, her attention was on the papers anyway.

"No, it's okay. I wasn't watching where I was going either." They both stood up as all the paper was collected. It was him. It was the same boy who stared at her during class, the nerdy one. She was happy to see that there was another person that wasn't shorter than her. He wasn't taller either, he was about her same height it looked was dressed like a normal guy, she supposed. Jeans, plain shirt, hoodie, and vans. She briefly thought to the mall escape a couple weeks ago during the whole Hydra fiasco. You're never the same after seeing your grandfather in vans, she hoped that wouldn't happen again. The one thing she seemed to notice about the boy was his eyes. They were a deep, chocolate brown that seemed to make you feel weird inside. Stella didn't know what that feeling was, she only knew that it was weird. She found out in that moment that, even though she didn't know the guy, she liked his eyes.

"Hey, you're the new girl, aren't you?" He asked, sounding as nervous as Stella felt. Quickly masking her emotions, Stella answered him.

"Yeah and you're the guy who was staring at me?" He blushed again and Stella felt a weird flutter in her stomach. Stop it! She told herself.  
What is this?! She felt as if she was going to be sick and she didn't know why this boy would make her sick. He seemed nice enough, he had a nice smile. She knew better than that. Loki had a nice smile, in a weird twisted way, and he turned out to be a power hungry psychopath.

"Um… Yeah… Sorry about that. It was kind of rude, I didn't mean to." Stella smiled.

"It's fine." He stood there awkwardly, Stella felt a bit awkward herself. She wasn't sure what to do in social situations like this, especially with a guy her own age. After all that Shield taught her she had finally found something she was clueless about. She laughed nervously. Nervously! Would you believe that?

"Peter Parker." He introduced suddenly, he held out his hand. Stella looked at it for a moment before realizing what it was for and shook it. She thought that only old people shook hands but she'd been wrong about social things before no thanks to Fury. Stella managed a genuine smile this time instead of a fake one.

"Stella Rogers." He nodded.

"I know." His eyes widened and he blushed once more. "I mean I know that you're Stella because I was just in first period with you when the teacher introduced you. I-I didn't know you were Stella before then because I… Uh… Didn't… Um… know you." Stella let out a small laugh. He seemed really nervous and shy. She found it adorable. She decided to question why she was finding everything adorable and cute now, she would just go with it from here on out.

"Yeah, I figured." It was awkward for another moment before Peter finally had to try and break the tension again.

"So what do you have now?" He asked. Stella bit her lip, glancing at her schedule again since she got bumped into before and didn't quite have the chance to read it. Second Period French. How absolutely perfect, too bad she already spoke thirteen different languages fluently and French happened to be one of them. At least she wouldn't have to try hard in this class since she already knew everything.

"I have French." Peter's eyes lit up at this.

"Really?!" He asked excitedly. " I mean… That's nice, I have that class now too." Stella beamed at him. At least she would have someone to show her to class so she wouldn't have to track it down. Meeting people could actually be pretty helpful. Who knew?

"Could you show me the way? This map is kind of confusing." For a moment she thought he would've told her no and he would walk away from her to return to his group of friends that he probably had. But for some reason he didn't, he just smiled and nodded at her.

"Yeah, sure." He handed her the papers back. "Just follow me, it's a couple hall ways over." He began walking and Stella easily kept up with him. She actually had to control her speed so she wouldn't walk ahead of him. It was one of the harder parts of being a super soldier. You were pretty fast in the most unnecessary situations. It was really annoying. As they walked to second period, Peter decided to strike up a conversation with the new girl.

"So you're from D.C.?" He asked quietly as they made their way through the crowded hall way. Stella pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. It was a nervous habit of hers.

"Yeah, more or less." Peter raised an eyebrow.

"More or less?" She sighed, tugging the strap of her bag closer to her chest.

"I've moved around a lot." She didn't think Peter understood that she had a reason for being vague in her answers.

"Moved a lot were?" He noticed the look on her face then blushed. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that." Usually Stella would've said good and left it at that but for some reason she felt okay about answering his question. She was, in fact, amused by his curiosity.

"That's okay." She told him kindly. "But I… Um… moved around from kind of everywhere. Across the country, across the world. I lived in Russia, Spain, Italy, France, England, Japan, so many places. But in the states I've mostly lived in California, New Mexico, D.C., and I used to live in Brooklyn a while back ago. So yeah, I've moved around quite a bit." Peter seemed in awe of her story, all the places she had been… All the things she'd seen.

"Wow, you've seen a lot." She smiled at him sadly. Those words were more than true but she didn't think he meant it that way.

"More than you can imagine." Peter smiled to himself, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

"I've never even been out of the city." Stella was shocked by this though it really shouldn't be so shocking. New York was a big city. Why would you need to go anywhere else?

"You should. There's a whole another world out there, Peter, there's so many things. You wouldn't even believe me if I told you." Peter looked at her with wonder. He wondered who this girl was. She interested him a lot. Maybe it was because she was the new girl, she was mysterious and different. She was also very, and he meant very, pretty. With her long blonde locks that went to her mid back, her tall stature, her ocean blue eyes, and something about her seemed exotic… She had this certain glow to her skin that stood out to him. He'd never met a girl, that he was attracted to, that was his own height. Most guys would be insecure about it but Peter didn't find it unappealing at all. He cleared his throat and decided to change the subject.

"So you've been home schooled?" Stella wanted to laugh at the idea. Fury teaching her geometry on a chalk board with a ruler in hand. It was a hilarious image that she didn't know how it got into her head.

"Yeah, for the most part." Peter rose a brow again. Her answers were so vague and he felt like he was missing something big, like she was leaving something enormously important out of her answers.

"What made you come here then? You said you moved around a lot. How do you know you'll stay here long enough to attend school?" Peter wished that what he said didn't come out as nosy as it sounded. She frowned at his question, nervously picking at the loose thread on her bag.

"Um… Something happened and my dad decided to stick to one place and settle down." It wasn't a complete lie. She was just leaving out a couple things, major important things, but still only a couple. Whatever Peter wanted to ask her next, he didn't get to because they reached French. Peter smiled at her before walking to the back of the class to take his seat while Stella talked to the teacher. When the teacher sent her to her seat, which happened to be next to Peter, she was so glad he didn't force her to introduce herself. She actually loved the people who just didn't care about her life, it was a nice feeling. It actually reminded her of the same feelings Fury would give her. 

* * *

For the rest of second and third period, Peter and Stella talked about none important things while they worked on classroom assignments. Her first day and they were already loading her up with work. What she would give to play sniper in the dark, humid jungles of South America. But then she wouldn't have Peter to talk to, she reminded herself. She wasn't entirely aware of what she just told herself in her mind or else she would've slapped herself. She liked talking about movies and tv shows, she never got the chance to do that at home. Steve and Thor barely understood the TV and Steve was only comfortable with the movies he knew from his own time. Clint and Natasha hardly cared about anything other than missions. Tony was much too energetic to sit through a whole movie and Jane and Bruce were always cooped up in the lab, too involved with their work to do anything else. Pepper was the only one who did normal things like watching movies but she only liked the romantic movies like the notebook which made Stella sick to the stomach.

When third period ended Stella and Peter walked to the lunch room, chatting amongst themselves. She was astonished by the lunch room, she'd only seen them in movies. It was like a combination of High school musical and a Disney channel kid show. She knew her stuff from the movies. The popular kid table filled with Jocks, Cheerleaders, and athletes alike. The rich kids or preps better known. Band kids with the art kids. Emos. Geeks. So many groups yet so many tables.

She stood in line for the food with Peter. It was different than in the movies, the lunch line had a sort of buffet style of serving so you had to serve your own food and they'd charge you based on its weight. It was sort of like TCBY. She started scooping food on her plate like she did at home except now she decided to cut down her portion as if not draw too much attention. Peter's eyes widened once he noticed the amount of food on her plate. Two sandwiches, one salad, a side of fries, grapes, strawberries, and carrots.

"How are you going to eat all of that?" He asked her still in shock. He was shocked at how such a slim and athlete looking girl could eat so much. Stella didn't look so much as phased at his question, in fact, she was confused. She thought he wouldn't notice her plate, she cut down the portion so much. Instead of blushing at his comments like most girls do when a guy asks them about their amount of food, she shrugged and appeared almost nonchalant.

"I just have a weirdly fast metabolism, I guess. I'll probably be hungry again in a couple of hours." The lunch lady weighed her food, giving her a weird look, and Stella paid for her plate as Peter did for his plate after her. They walked over to an empty table and took a seat. Peter watched in awe as she started eating her lunch, he didn't believe she could finish all that food.

"I really don't believe you'll finish that." Stella smirked at him.

"This is actually not such a large plate compared to what I eat at home." She took a sip from her water bottle.

"Whenever my dad and I order pizza we have to order two for each of us." She paused thinking back. "But that's really nothing compared to Th- I mean my uncle. He orders like four pizzas just for himself, he refuses to share even with his girlfriend." Peter was shell shocked at this new information. Wow, her family must spend so much on food. Stella was glad she didn't let Thor slip out, Thor wasn't an easy name to cover up.

"So you have a dad and an uncle?" And here comes the family talk, she thought to herself. This should prove to be entertaining. Let's see if I just can't come up with a very clever cover story. She was so ready for this.

"Yeah, well my dad is actually my grandpa but I just call him dad. I actually have three uncles. Thorny, the one I just told you about, Tony, and Bruce." She seriously could not believe she came up with Thorny for Thor, Tony would be on the floor laughing by now. She was a part time assassin so how was it so hard for her to come up with fake names? Peter seemed a bit confused as she told him about her family. She didn't mention a mother and she also didn't mention an actual real father.

"So what about your parents? You talked about your grandfather and uncles but what about your parents?" Stella froze. She hadn't expected that question though she couldn't really blame him for it. It was a logical question since she hadn't said a word about her parents yet. Stella bit her lip nervously. Peter had only spent a couple hours with her yet he'd already noticed this constant habit of hers.

"They died a long time ago." She said quietly, she didn't really want to divulge on the subject. Peter's eyes widened. He might have suspected that her parents were dead but he wasn't completely sure.

"I'm sorry." Stella shook her head glancing down at her plate.

"Like I said, it was a long time ago. I don't even remember them." She lied. Of course she remembered them, though it was a very vague memory, it was difficult to forget. She'd tried so many times over and over again to forget but to no victory. Peter suddenly grasped her hand, looking her in the eyes. His eyes that were once a warm, soft brown were now the same but with something else within them.

"It still hurts." She gave him a questioning look, he seemed to notice the look.

"My parents died when I was young too, I've lived with my aunt and uncle since then." Stella wasn't sure what to say to that. No one had really understood how she felt before, sure they had dysfunctional families and tragic pasts but they never truly understood that she still hurt from her parents early deaths. Peter swallowed.

"My uncle also died last year." He added. Stella's blue eyes, which were usually cold, were now warm with sympathy and understanding. She remembered how hard it was for her when Phil died two years ago and she was still trying to get over it.

"We have so much in common." Stella said sarcastically after a moment's silence. She expected Peter to glare at her or just walk away in disgust but, instead, he smiled. He even laughed. For some reason she liked his soft, happy chuckle. It just made her feel… Weird… Again. She didn't want to think about whatever this was.

"Yeah, I guess we do." He looked at her empty plate with wide eyes. "Except I don't think I can eat half of much as you." Stella rolled her eyes.

"That's what every girl loves to hear." Peter laughed again but this time she laughed with him. This gave Peter a chance to also feel weird over the new girl's laugh. They were about to strike up another conversation when the bell rang and lunch was over. She was shocked. A half an hour lunch? Sometimes Tony took a two hour lunch. However much she wanted to protest, she didn't, and instead followed Peter to another class they shared. 

* * *

Two more hours later they came out of the main entrance of the school happily chatting and laughing. You can imagine how strange It was to see to Happy Hogan who sat in the car waiting for the young Rogers. He'd hardly seen smiles and laughs from Stella and if he did it was only when Steve was around.

"So you like photography?" Stella asked, gesturing to the camera Peter had around his neck. Also because of the class she had to leave him for sixth period. Peter nodded, smiling… At what? He wasn't sure.

"Yeah, it's been a hobby of mine for a while. It's something other than science so it gives me a bit of a break if I need it." He paused for a moment, lost in thought, than glanced back at the blonde. "What about you? You like art?" He asked since her sixth period was one of the various art classes Midtown had. Stella shrugged, still smiling.

"Yeah, it's a hobby of mine too. Drawing has always managed to sooth me or keep me at ease, I just happen to be very good at it."

"Modest, are we?" Peter quipped and they both laughed again.

"No, I just really love it. It's the only thing I'm good at besides-" She stopped herself from finishing the sentence, a sudden frown spreading across her face. She was going to say field work, since the sentence was something she told to all of her friends or people knowledgeable about her double life. Why was she so stupid around this boy? She'd only known him for a few hours and she'd already almost let a couple of secrets out.

"Besides what?" Peter questioned, sounding concerned. He wondered why she'd suddenly stopped mid sentence. Stella plastered a fake smile across her face, the first time she'd used one with Peter.

"Besides eating." She told him teasingly and Peter's concerned look immediately vanished, replaced by laughter. Internally, Stella let out a sigh of relief. She was glad Peter was a normal person. Normal meaning he didn't have the kind of training that would allow him to pick out lies as easily as one two three.

"Well, I'm sure you're good at many other things, Stella." He told her. Stella felt a sudden heat rise in her cheeks. What was that? Was she ill? Then she realized. She must be blushing. She, Stella Rogers, was blushing. She was an assassin, agent, avenger… Whatever you wanted to call her and she'd never blushed her entire life yet this odd eighteen year old boy was making her blush and just… Making her feel weird. She wasn't sure if she liked it.

"It depends on how you categorize those things." He raised an eyebrow in question but before he could question her again, they were interrupted.

"Stella! Stella!" They both turned their heads towards the voice. Stella almost rolled her eyes when she saw the voice. Happy had gotten out of his car and was walking towards them with a slight determination.

"Stella," He finally said when he reached the two teenagers. "Tony wants you home." This time she didn't refrain from rolling her eyes. Of course it would be Tony who wanted her home. God, he was annoying. You'd think it would be Steve but he knew that she actually had to stay at school for at least six hours before coming home.

"I know, Happy, he's only texted me like seventy times and left eight voice mails." Happy didn't say anything but he looked awkward. He hated being caught in the middle of avenger business even if that avenger business was over going to school for a certain teen avenger.

"I know but he-" She cut him off.

"I know, Happy, he's Tony. Don't worry we'll leave in a minute, I was just finishing my conversation with Peter… So you can tell him to wait and shove it and I'll come home when I want to come home." She told the driver in her shield agent voice which was not very inviting. It was the same voice she'd use in interrogations with mob bosses and serial killers. She probably shouldn't have used it with Happy but she was a bit annoyed at Tony. Her eyes suddenly widened as if she forgot something.

"Oh and by the way, Happy, This is Peter Parker." She gestured toward the skinny, nerdy looking kid.

"Peter this is Happy Hogan." She gestured towards the bulky man in a suit. Peter gave Happy a small wave and the former body guard of Tony Stark narrowed his eyes at the kid. He found it odd that it was Stella's first day of school and she'd managed to find a friend. He was pretty sure she would've ended up killing someone but it looked like he was wrong.

"One minute." Happy told the former agent. She rolled her eyes again. Like _he _could tell her what to do but she guessed he had to keep up an adult image around her since she was supposed to be a regular seventeen year old girl.

"Sorry about that, he can be very persistent." She apologized to Peter but he only laughed.

"No it's fine and I didn't know you were a rich kid. You left that out." And she just had to roll her eyes at that comment but this time more playfully.

"I'm not a rich kid, I'm just friends with a… Rich kid." Tony was like a kid. He could pass as a kid especially with his annoying, award winning personality.

"One of the uncles you were telling me about, right?" She laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, he's one of my more annoying uncles but definitely rich." She paused, realizing that she would have to go. She never thought about leaving him to go home, she was just so caught up in the moment. She even felt a bit sad or reluctant to leave.

"Happy can drop you off at your house if you want." She told him, glancing at his skateboard. Happy didn't seem too happy at that suggestion as he crossed his arms. To think this guy had been skateboarding and taking the subway home all this time. New York was dangerous for a normal person. Oh great. She thought to herself. She was talking about him like he was some helpless puppy. Yeah, school was definitely turning her into a weird person. Peter shook his head.

"No, I'll be fine." He said, holding up the skateboard. Stella's smile began to frown as she realized that it was time to say good bye and Peter did the same.

"Oh… Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Peter swallowed, nodding.

"Yeah, I guess I'll see you tomorrow too." They looked at each other awkwardly, it was even more awkward for happy who was still standing there.

"Well, have a nice night." She told him.

"You too." He replied. He threw his skateboard on the ground and was about to skate away but Stella reached forward and hugged him. Peter was a bit surprised at the action as was Happy. He'd never seen Stella be so affectionate around others and so quickly too. Peter slowly returned the hug, he couldn't remember the last time he'd been hugged by someone who wasn't his aunt. Pulling away, with a faint blush, Stella kissed his cheek. She figured it was a normal thing to do with… Friends. Peter blushed at the attention. She smiled at him.

"Bye, Peter." She said before skipping off and hopping into the car. Happy gave Peter a harsh glare before walking over and getting into the driver's seat. Peter watched the car drive away in astonishment. He'd never thought that he would end this very day with a sort of friend like Stella and especially not someone as… Beautiful as her. Uh oh. He thought to himself as he started taking note of his very thought process.

"Bye, Stella."

* * *

**_Author's Note: I hope you liked the first chapter. It had so many things including Peter! This kind of story is different for me. Where the character meets the love interest right off the bat. I know their friendship and affections seem to be kind of fast but I just wanted to really show their instant connection. Their connection feels like they've known each other for a while. Stella doesn't really understand what she feels right now and especially since she just met Peter and barely knows him and usually she wouldn't trust someone so fast but the connection she has with Peter is different and kind of defies her instincts which confuses her all the more. Peter is actually starting to understand the connection even though it's so soon because he's more familiar with these things than Stella. I'll try and update pretty quick so have no fear. _**


	3. Chapter Two

**_Author's Note: I've finally updated! Sorry for keeping everyone waiting but I've been up to stuff. I just saw Spider-Man 2 last Friday and it was so good! I was worried it would suck. The sound track was awesome too. Pharell Williams and Hans Zimmer, weird but awesome collaboration. I don't think I cried so hard during a Marvel movie before... Only when I saw Thor The Dark World and thought Loki had really died. So glad he didn't. My life would've been ruined. I hope you enjoy the chapter even though it's way shorter than the last._****_  
_**

* * *

**__**

The ride home with Happy was quiet for the most part except for the occasional few questions he asked about her day. He didn't mention Peter and for that Stella was glad. She didn't feel like explaining herself to him not because she didn't have to but because she didn't know how to explain herself. She acted out of character today, way out of character. She couldn't really tell you why but just that something about Peter made her open up more. Don't get her wrong. She wasn't about to spill every secret to Peter, her whole life of lies and weirdness, but she felt more comfortable around him than she had with anyone she'd known for a few hours. It was odd but she couldn't help but enjoy the weirdness of this new found friendship.

When they finally arrived at the tower, Happy parking in the special parking garage( For avengers and co. only), Stella slowly made her way to the elevator that led to her and Steve's floor. She walked into the abandoned apartment, realizing Steve must have hit the gym, and escaped into her bedroom to continue her unpacking. 

* * *

She didn't bring a lot when they moved, just her art supplies, books, movies, and the special jacket Clint got her after her first mission. The clothes and necessities were all provided by Tony… Well Pepper but it was Tony's money, not that he would ever notice. In all honesty, she really didn't need Tony's money. She was already very wealthy for a seventeen year old, her job paid more than being a babysitter did by a long shot. All the money she had in the bank was enough to keep her well off for the rest of her life and that was including her possible long life span but not including the money Steve had saved up somewhere too.

Stella walked into her walk in closet, sketchbook in hand, to get a more privacy vibe going on. The closet was large and spacious, not to mention bright which she liked. Surprisingly the closet even had a window, along with chairs, tables, a sofa, and a nice flat screen. She raised an eyebrow at the contents of the closet. What was she going to do? Live in here? Leave it to Tony to be over the top… Or Pepper. Whoever set the room up.

She sighed at the lavishness of the room and decided to lay down on the couch to relax. She was used to a lot worse places than this. Jungles in South America, Deserts in Afghanistan, Winters in Russian, and then there was Budapest… Enough said. She'd lived in too many shit holes to count and never for any extended amount of time like she was supposed to live here. She guessed she wasn't used to lavishness but at least she could have it now and not be expected to go on any missions for a long while. Relaxation. What was that even like?

Stella leaned her head against one of the decorative pillows before opening her sketchbook to a page and pulling out one of her pencils. Before she started she realized she needed something more. Looking up at the ceiling, she stated her command.

"Jarvis?" She called out in an almost inaudible voice.

"Yes, Miss Rogers?" She smiled briefly. She'd never get used to never being truly alone even though it was just a voice in the wall, quite literally.

"Could you play some music, please?"

"Of course, Miss Rogers, would you prefer Mr. Stark's music? AC DC, Aerosmith, or Black Sabbath?" Stella wrinkled her nose at the mentions of those bands. She was never a fan of those rock groups, maybe because Tony had already claimed a love to those said bands but she couldn't stand the shrill screams and yells with the angry guitar solos.

"Actually, could you play some music from my iPhone?"

"Of course, Miss Rogers, which playlist would you have me play?" She smiled again, just at the question.

"Just play some Lana Del Rey, that should be good, Jarvis."

"Of course, Miss Rogers." She smiled, once more, leaning her back against the soft cushions of the couch now that she was more confortable. She started her drawing just as Lana Del Rey's sultry voice began playing in the background. The movements with her pencil started to follow the smooth and romantic rhythm of _west coast_ and she was at ease. In her happy place as Bruce would like to call it.

Her thoughts slowly began to drift back to a certain new friend of hers as she drew the big, ugly building in New York. It felt like a dream.

* * *

It was later at dinner that night that Stella started to get the third degree, or questioning, from the avengers but mostly Tony. It was take out tonight since no one felt like cooking and everyone was tired. Whether it be working in the lab(Tony, Bruce, and Jane), working out in the gym(Clint, Natsha, and Steve), Meetings(Pepper), School(Stella), or eating poptarts(Thor). It was an exhausting day for everyone except for Thor of course. She couldn't really complain since Thor and Jane weren't even here but on a date or whatever it was that Asgardians did with their mortal… Lovers? She didn't know, the whole thing confused her.

"So, Mini Rogers, how was your school day? You never texted me back." Tony asked, pointing his chop sticks at Stella. She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, you only texted me like fifty times. Our phones are supposed to be off during school hours, Tony, I thought you knew that."

"Who knew you were such a goody two shoes, Mini Capsicle." He commented. She wondered if he would ever stop adding mini to the front of the things he called Steve.

"Maybe I just don't want to bother with old people texting me."

"Stella." Steve warned, giving her a pointed look while Pepper gave Tony one.

"Come on, Cap, we're only messing with each other." He turned back to Stella with a glare.

"I am not old." She smirked.

"Yes, you are. Is that gray, I see there in your hair?" Tony touched his hair.

"Pepper said it was sexy." Pepper blushed and looked down at her food. "Besides, I'm the cool adult."

"Really? I wouldn't have guessed." Tony frowned at a sarcastic Stella.

"School's changed you, I changed my mind, you're not like old gramps at all. You're like Cap's evil twin without the beings twins or siblings thing." To not be rolling her eyes too often, Stella had to refrain herself from rolling her eyes again at him. Stark could be an annoying one.

"School's fine, if that's what you're asking." She said suddenly but then paused giving it some thought. "It's not as bad as I thought." She confessed. The whole table stopped what they were doing and stared at her, even the two spies and Steve who knew the girl better than the rest. They were expecting a rant or a complaint but not a confession. Everyone slowly went back to eating but still remained cautious at Stella's confession. Steve looked over at his grand daughter carefully, poking his food with his fork. He was too caught up in the forties to learn how to use chop sticks and Stella was too annoyed to teach him with his stubbornness.

"Your classes? How were they?" Stella shrugged, chewing on some orange chicken before swallowing it.

"They were pretty good. My history teacher was an ass who kept questioning me in front of the class but all the other teachers were fine. Art was probably my favorite since I just get to draw whatever I want and listen to music." Steve nodded, he was glad to hear that she wasn't complaining much about anything.

"That's good, just don't let your phone distract you from your work." When he wasn't looking, Stella rolled her eyes while Tony scoffed.

"Okay, mom!" He said sarcastically and Steve only sent him a glare without saying anything.

"What about friends?" Pepper asked from her spot. "Did you make any?" Everyone glanced at the young blonde cautiously and almost fearfully except from Clint and Natasha. They knew that Stella wasn't the type to make friends. She didn't particularly like ordinary people, she stuck to the agents or fellow team members. The others worried themselves silly over the day, expecting to get a phone call that Stella had killed someone. Natasha and Clint, however, had never worried for that reason. Stella was too good to get caught. Stella nervously bit her lip, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Um… Yeah, you could say that." You could hear a pin drop in the room. Everyone was shocked by this new information. Even though it was vague they all knew what it meant, even Clint and Natasha were shocked for a first. Breaking the silence, Steve smiled at Stella.

"Really? That's good. What's her name." Stella smiled and went back to eating. Natasha narrowed her eyes at her blonde friend, noticing her odd behavior with suspicion.

"Peter." Steve choked on his noodles. Bruce gently patted him on the back while Tony, still shocked, snickered at him.

"P-peter?" Steve stuttered, still coughing. Stella nodded, looking up from her meal. "Isn't that a boy's name?"

"Yeah, dad, Peter's a boy." She said in an obvious tone.

"Isn't there any girls that go to school there?" Steve asked nervously. Everyone else was either shocked or amused by this new information. Clint and Natasha seemed shocked at their out of character friend already befriending someone at school. Pepper and Bruce were amused at Steve's nervousness and Tony was having fun laughing at Steve's expense. Stella narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yes but I don't like them." She told him bluntly, Pepper laughed nervously as well trying to help out the super soldier.

"Well maybe there's one that you can like."

"They're judgmental bitches."

"But-" She cut off Pepper, tired already of hearing their bull shit.

"Listen, guys, I like Peter. The girls analyze me and the guys dress me down, no different than the real world, Peter is the only one that hasn't done either and I plan to stick with that." Steve couldn't help but think that Peter probably had dressed his daughter down and he'd never even seen the kid.

"This is a boy though, Stella." Pepper reminded her, trying to get the girl to see Steve's uncomfortableness.

"Peter's unusually kind and a gentleman, not to mention funny. He doesn't act like a pig like how you're suggesting, Pepper." The table, once again, sat in shock. Tony's shocked expression slowly turned into a smirk as he recognized what this little rant about Peter meant. Pepper nervously smiled.

"I didn't mean it like that, Stella, I just meant that you can understand Steve's concern." Stella looked at her father.

"Dad, you have no reason to be concerned. Peter is really nice and I think you would like him." She smiled at everyone, something that was also shocking to see ever since all the missions from shield after the battle of New York.

"Now, if you would excuse me, I have to go and watch _Revenge_. Five minutes, cutting it close." Stella got up from the table with her empty take out box, throwing it in the trash, then walked to the elevator with a bit more skip to her step. Something all the avengers noticed. Tony laughed, an almost evil laugh once she was out of ear shot.

"I'm worried about her." Natasha said quietly. "I've never seen her act like this." Clint nodded silently, not knowing what else to say. Steve felt his stomach sink. If Natasha was worried…

"I'm not worried." Tony said with a delighted grin. "I think this is all wonderful. Little Rogers finally growing up and falling in love. How beautiful!" Pepper glared at him.

"For god's sake, Tony! She only met this boy today and you're not making Steve feel any better." Everyone turned towards a shocked Steve who looked like he was about to be sick. Pepper's expression softened.

"Steve, it's okay, they're just friends." Tony snorted.

"Yeah right, a girl and a guy can't just be friends." Pepper glared at him and started to mention Clint and Natasha when she suddenly stopped, realizing who she was talking about. Tony nodded with a smug look on his face.

"Exactly." Steve groaned putting his face in his hands. Tony actually felt sorry for the guy, trying imagine what he'd feel like in his shoes.

"Sorry, buddy, but she's growing up. I think it's a wonder this has been delayed this long, it should've happened years ago but it was inevitable. She's a teenager underneath all that super soldier and agent exterior and he's just a regular teenage boy."

"I feel like it was just yesterday when she was just fourteen." Tony shrugged.

"Well it was only a few years ago. She's almost an adult, cap, pretty soon she'll be off in the world doing who knows what so don't be too shocked if she starts getting hot and heavy with Mr. Unusually kind and funny. It's the 21st century after all." Steve blushed.

"I shouldn't have enrolled her in high school." Tony smiled, patting the super soldier on the back. It reminded Steve of back in the day with Howard.

"Well you wanted her to have a normal life, this comes with it." Bruce looked between Steve and Tony with a sympathetic expression.

"They might only be friends, after all, guys." Bruce told them. "Men and women can be friends in my opinion." Tony was willing to call a bet on that but decided against it because of Pepper. When she left the room, he promised himself. Pepper smiled at everyone.

"Well, I think we should end this conversation for now and head up to our floors." Pepper suggested and everyone nodded in agreement. They'd all worry about this later if it actually became a real and serious problem... Well most of the avengers held that thought within themselves. When she was gone Steve turned to Tony.

"You've mentioned background checks before, Tony?" Tony got a devious little smirk on his face at the question. Stella Rogers in high school was going to be more fun than creating a new element or watching the hulk smash Loki around his pent house on a constant loop.

"Why of course I have, Cap."

* * *

**_Author's Note: Hope you liked it. Sorry there was no Peter but he'll be in the next chapter, don't worry.  
Playlist for this chapter or what got me through a Peterless chapter:_**

Empire- Shakira  
Magic- Coldplay  
West Coast- Lana Del Rey  
Young and Beautiful- Lana Del Rey  
Paranoid- Black Sabbath  
Sky full of stars- Coldplay  
I'm a freak- Enrique Iglesias( Featuring Pitbull)  
I think that Magic could actually be Peter and Stella's song, keeping in mind for the future.  
I was kind of shocked when I saw AP2 that Peter was listening to Phillip Phillips, I never pictured him listening 


End file.
